A Hero Remade
by Rozenrise
Summary: Amell was the reluctant hero of the blight. Escaping from the accolades she seeks the cure with her brothers, as far from Fereldan as she can get. When a breakthrough occurs she is sent back to inform her fellow wardens only to get caught up in the Inquisition. Against her will. She never did learn to tell Liliana no.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, this story came about after I played through the story with all of the different wardens. I ended up with a headcanon that wouldn't go away and thus this story kind of popped up. Rhose is the Hero of Fereldan. She was born into the Amell family but was the illegitimate child of a Dalish father and Revka Amell. Her father also fathered a child, Alim Surana, by an Amell servant while he was there and was the father of Mahariel in this story. Cousland is a cousin on her mother's side and Tabris is one on her father's side. The dwarven warden, Brosca, is not related but decided he was a cousin too since everyone else was related. Cousland is not a warden and married Alistair. Mahariel married Liliana. Tabris is with Zevran. Surana fell in love with Morrigan and is the father of her child. Amell didn't romance anyone, though Brosca tried really hard. She was too busy worrying about everyone else making it through.

Haven was a bustle with the newly stationed inquisition. They swarmed about like ants on a sweet roll. Some were sparring, others forging, many just standing around.

It was with irritation that a lone Raven, perched on a frost-covered tree branch, took note that most of the lazy ones wore Chantry garb.

Rhose Amell, currently transformed into a raven and freezing her butt off in a tree, had insisted that her cousin, Elisa Cousland, not worry. That she would personally investigate and end any threats. So much for that. She should have just stayed in the deep roads. It was safer there.

Rhose had returned to Fereldan a week before. Sent by her brothers to bring news of their progress on a cure for the taint. Upon arrival, she had been told the queen of Fereldan was worried about the destruction of the temple. That and there were rumors of a rebel group, that called themselves the inquisition reborn, had made camp on her borders. Amell, willing to escape any public welcome by the royals, immediately offered to investigate. She'd left two seconds after she made the offer. She was gone before anyone could object. Rhose regretted it now. She hadn't anticipated that there would be Templars present. While a formidable mage in her own right, capable of handling a single or even duo of Templars, she knew that her chances were sparse with the numbers present.

On top of that, she had recognized one of the Templars as Ser Cullen. The last time she'd seen him he had been rather insistent she murder an entire tower of mages that had survived the massacre of her home. While she had refused and saved them, him as well, he hadn't been too forgiving. He'd called her some rather cruel things and all but wished her gone. She'd heard rumors after that from Kirkwall. None were flattering. So, for safety's sake, Rhose wasn't willing to risk catching his attention by trying to infiltrate the camp right under his nose. She didn't have that kind of energy left at the moment, and while Cullen had been rather meek in his youth, he'd been talented with spell purges. More so than most. Besides, while he probably had no issue running her through with his sword, she didn't think she had it in her to hurt him. Even now, knowing the cruelty his torture had instilled, she could only see the sweet, awkward Templar. The one who had told her he would always be there for her if she needed to talk. While she knew he wasn't the same man anymore, Cullen was one of the only things left from that life. Everyone else had been at the conclave.

Nope, she was going to wait. She had caught a glimpse of Liliana and had heard whispers of her being a driving force behind the inquisition. Seeing as how she was married to Tallinn, Rhose's Dalish half brother, Rhose felt her best bet would be to catch her sister-in law's attention as opposed to that of the Templar training recruits.

It took forever before Liliana left the main fortress. It was nearing dinner time, and Rhose was well on her way to a bad mood by then.

Liliana walked first to speak to a well-built woman with short black hair and an attitude problem, if the splintered training dummy she was bashing was an indication. The woman had the Seeker's eye on her breastplate, and Rhose knew better than to try and call Lily's attention with that woman nearby. Seekers were worse than Templars. Rhose had spent enough time hiding from them to know.

Rhose hopped about on her branch, knowing full well that if Liliana saw her, she would know she wasn't one of her raven messengers. Maker knew that typical ravens didn't have fiery pale orange eyes that were almost liquid in their viscosity.

She must have been too far away for the bard to see her as Liliana didn't even glance her way when she left the Seeker to approach Cullen. The Templar having taken a break from yelling at the trainees.

Cursing to herself Rhose flew to perch on a tree just by the pair, as close to Liliana, and as far from Cullen as she could. She'd risk the Templar before she would the Seeker.

As Liliana began talking to him, Rhose noticed Cullen seemed to grow irritated and started fidgeting. He likely could sense her magic. His hand finally came to rest on his sword. Fingers tightening around the hilt hard enough to make his leather gloves creak. It alarmed Rhose. She wasn't nearly ready for a confrontation with an agitated Templar.

She decided on retreat. Rhose was about to fly off, before Cullen had a chance to realize it was the bird that was setting off his Templar senses, when Liliana finally looked at her.

The recognition was instant, and Rhose could see the cold blue eyes warm up with happiness. It took another instant before Liliana realized that Cullen was on edge because of the small bird-shaped mage nearby.

"I will bring you the roster later commander," Liliana informed Cullen and held out her arm for Rhose to perch on. "Josephine wishes for us to meet with the Herald after dinner. I will have them then."

Cullen nodded, his attention still distracted. Unfortunately, he seemed to have fixated upon Rhose who now rested nervously on Liliana's arm, right in front of him.

"How can you stand those birds?" He asked finally, causing Rhose to bristle. "They're rather eerie."

Liliana laughed, a more than welcomed sound to Rhose's starved ears, and patted the mage lovingly on her head and neck. Liliana then took to snuggling her face in the feathers just above Rhose's wing joint. "They are the best scouts, so clever. This one, in particular, is my favorite."

With a skeptical quirk of his brow, Cullen seemed to lose interest in examining her, much to Rhose's relief. He'd always had a compelling and commanding gaze when he'd been serious, and it seemed he'd only perfected it over the years. "Very well. I will see you at the war table then."

He went to walk away but sent a fleeting glance towards the raven before he did, his eyes locked with Rhose's before she could look away. He froze in place and acted as if he was about to say something. His mouth opened, then closed, like a fish out of water. No sound came out.

"Is something wrong commander?" Liliana asked as she whipped out a hood she often used for transporting her birds and pulled it over Rhose's head. She ignored the angry clicks of her friend and shielded the small body further from Cullen with her arm.

"I-I umm..." shaking his head, Cullen tried to clear his thoughts. "Nothing, I just thought I saw... something."

"Oh, ok." Liliana turned and began walking away. "We shall talk later after dinner."

When they were far away, within the walls and near the doors of the chantry, inside a small tent, Liliana placed Rhose down onto a box of supplies and removed her hood.

"I take it Elisa sent you?" Liliana's voice was soft and controlled, but Rhose knew her sister well enough to hear the anger. Elisa and Liliana had never gotten along.

Knowing it was useless to try and answer any questions as she was, Rhose made sure she was well hidden before she let her bird form go and came to stand before Liliana. It felt odd, standing there in her Dragon bone mail, with vengeance and spellweaver at her sides. It had been a long time since she'd taken on human form and the change made her feel too large and clumsy, even though she barely stood chin high to her current companion.

"I volunteered." Rhose's soft voice was scratchy from disuse. She didn't remember it being so harsh before. Then again she had just spent three years in the deep roads helping Alim and Tallinn find a cure. They never really spoke, as Rhose had been a spider most of the time, snatching dark spawn for her brothers to use in their experiments. "I couldn't stand court life. Elisa was desperate to put me in a dress. I thank you for the excuse to escape that fate."

Liliana smiled. "We've been searching for you, you know? I received the rare letter from my dear Tallinn, but he refused to speak a word of the rest of you. Killian was the same. After she took over Amaranthine for you, she became extremely secretive and jealously guarded your location. Not even a peep. Elisa and Alistair were just as lost, I think. You four didn't tell them about your plans, did you?"

"It was not for my dear cousin to concern herself." The harshness of disuse made it impossible for Reaven to hide the disdain in her voice. "It was warden business. Elisa is not a warden, and Alistair is king, his warden days long over. I'm sorry, Lily." Rhose sighed and ran a pale hand through her long black hair. A gesture Liliana knew Reaven used when nervous. "Elisa is worried that the inquisition is a danger to Fereldan. She has granted mages sanctuary in Redcliff, and she has heard your chosen commander is an unstable Templar. I came as a favor, not for Elisa, but you. Please tell me you don't plan on invading Fereldan?"

"I can not guarantee that." Liliana fiddled with her gloves and looked away from the closest thing to a real sister she had. She knew, in truth, the inquisition may very well end up invading more than just Ferelden. "The inquisition will do what it must to bring back order."

Rhose groaned and fought back the urge to punch a nearby crate. She'd spent a year keeping darkspawn from taking over Fereldan. How in the fade was she supposed to stop her sister from doing it?

Liliana heard the crunch of Rhose's gauntlet and saw the flash of gold in her eyes that spoke of an uncast spell and backed swiftly away. "The inquisition is not bad Rhose!" Liliana defended, her voice quaking with desperation. "This war has to stop. The breach must close! No one else is helping! We must do something!" Grabbing Rhose's hands, Liliana pried open the clenched fingers. "I know you Rhose! Help us do this! I want a world to be here still when Tallinn and Alim find the cure. I want our family to be together in a safe and happy world."

Confusion flickered across Rhose's face. She hadn't expected such a request. She hadn't expected to be received well at all. The last time she'd been in a public place with people there had been darkspawn invading her city. She'd abandoned the keep to its fate to save the town, she'd managed, but things just weren't the same around people after that. Every time Rhose got comfortable and happy, something came along and destroyed her world.

Being a bird, a spider, or a wolf was freedom beyond that. It allowed her to no longer be human. To no longer care that her tower had been destroyed, her fellow wardens betrayed, her adopted family split apart, her nephew spirited away, her brother desperately following after him, her order in ruins, and her keep all but destroyed with her men slaughtered by the creatures they swore to stop. It let her forget that she was slowly dying from a poison she had never wanted to take.

And here Liliana was. Asking her to condemn even more people to the curse of her aid.

"Liliana I can't." Her voice was weak, and she felt sick. She was no hero, even if she had been the one to kill the archdemon and win over the lands meet. She was a coward who had ran away and hid behind the excuse of a cure. "I'm no good to anyone. I have to go back and help find a cure. I can't take any more death. There has been too much of it by my hands."

"Then help keep everyone alive!" With a stomp of her foot, Liliana crossed her arms and moved to block the exit of the tent as if she feared Rhose would fly away, which was rather close to what the mage had considered doing. "I won't let you run away again. Tallinn and Alim are fine on their own. Killian is working hard on Amaranthine, and you are here. I believe the maker sent you here at our greatest time of need for a reason."

"No, Elisa sent me here to make sure you aren't going to let Cullen storm Redcliff."

"Don't be pert!" Liliana snapped.

With a surprise tug, she grabbed Rhose's arm. She completely ignored the fact that her prisoner was a notoriously powerful mage armed with two massive swords and pulled Rhose bodily out of the tent and towards the chantry.

"What are you doing!" The distraught mage tried to pull her arm free, only to find Liliana was stronger than she remembered. Never one to use her magic unless unavoidable Rhose was at a disadvantage. So she did the most natural thing she could think of and dug her sabatons into the ground and pulled back. "I don't wanna go in there, and you can't make me!"

"A-amell?"

The surprised voice of a familiar male caught both women off guard. Liliana let go of Rhose's arm which caused the mage to plant herself firmly in the dirt. Looking up at the intruder Rhose found herself face to face with Cullen. He wore an expression that seemed a mix of worried, surprised, and panicked. Perhaps a little sick even.

Taking his expression as disapproval Rhose jumped to her feet and dusted herself off. "Ser Cullen." She bowed her head slightly, so as not to seem rude, as she quickly backed up towards Liliana to hide behind her. "I was just leaving."

The expression on Cullen's face darkened, a slight frown, Rhose thought she saw disappointment for a moment before she decided it was pure disdain at her being there.

"Nope!" Liliana grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the chantry. "Cullen, be a dear and fetch the Herald and Josephine. I'm afraid I'll have to move our meeting forward several hours. We must discuss the Hero of Fereldan joining the inquisition."

To Rhose's surprise, Cullen seemed to perk up at Liliana's request. He looked between the two women before deciding to speak to Liliana, who was clearly the one in control. "Truly?"

"So it seems," Rhose muttered in Liliana's place.

There was no mistaking the smile that spread across Cullen's face then, and Rhose found herself confused once more. It was the same smile he had worn so many years ago whenever she had approached to talk to him. And just like back then, it made Rhose feel flustered and all too girly. She had the odd urge to tease him as she had back in the tower to make her jitters go away, but since Liliana was pushing her into the chantry, she didn't get the chance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry if the tones for the first chapter and this one are a little different. I wrote the first chapter a long time ago and this one over the last two days.

"You've been hiding, in a cave, all along?" The accusation came with a slammed fist as Cassandra glared across the war room table at Rhose.

The mage, well beyond tired and just wanting to go to bed, gave a small shrug. "Not the entire time. Just some of it."

Cassandra gave a disgusted snort and shook her head. All the time she'd spent searching for the Hero of Fereldan was nothing but a wasted effort. Here the woman was, hiding behind Liliana while throwing nervous glances at Cassandra and Cullen like they were wild animals. She was nothing like Cassandra had pictured her. Where was the confidence? The power? She dressed the part, her armor and swords were undoubtedly impressive, but she cringed away from everyone. Hardly what Cassandra thought a proven hero should do.

"Cassandra," Liliana interjected before the Seeker could start in on Rhose again. "We've established already that there was a reason for Amell's absence. She didn't just abandon us. Besides, she is here now."

"I suppose it will do," the words were spoken with little conviction from Cassandra.

"Well, I for one am more than happy to add to my little posse of misfits," Maxwell chirped from his spot against the wall where he'd been silently observing the group. Rhose had been introduced to him earlier; he was the man that had stabilized the rift and taken on the title of Herald of Andraste. Amell found him to be a kind man, but a little too loud. "Especially one who has killed a dragon or two."

"Five," Amell corrected. "Though one was a crazy old swamp witch. Not sure if she counts or not."

Max's dark eyes sparkled, and his grin widened. "Yes. It is decided. You are part of my collection now."

Rhose wasn't sure how to react to his declaration, so she just gave a weak smile. Max reminded her of Brand a little; she was never sure how to respond to the dwarf either. She idly wondered about her friend then. She'd not kept up well with Brosca after the fall of the keep. Perhaps it was time to send the dwarf a letter.

"I think it would be quite the boon to add the Hero of Fereldan to our numbers," the Antivan woman Rhose knew now was named Josephine brought the mage back from her musings. "There are many who will pledge aid in honor of her support alone."

"My name doesn't carry as much weight as you'd think," Rhose warned. "I handed over most of my holdings when I left Fereldan some years ago. Granted I have access to those who may help and I may be able to call in some old favors to draw more to your banner, but I can't say how far you'll get on my notoriety alone."

"Nonsense," Josephine waved the notion off with a small laugh. "There is hardly a living soul that doesn't recognize your title. It will aid us in both drawing those to our aid and repelling those that may challenge us."

Rhose was uneasy about the thought. She'd spent a long time trying to distance herself from the title of Hero, even going so far as to live as a spider for several years. Many others had fought at her side during the blight. Many had given their lives in her stead. They were heroes. Far more than she.

"Well, that is two advisors for and a Seeker on the fence," Max said.

His gaze fell to Cullen; the other man had remained silent through the entire conversation.

"What say you, Cullen," Max asked.

The Templar, lost in thought and focused solely on the flimsy table that stood between him and Amell, looked up with a start. He'd not been paying any attention to the conversation. His mind stuck on the simple truth that Amell was standing right there, almost within arms reach. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He'd been excited when he'd first seen her. It had been so long. That excitement quickly fled as flashes of the tower, of a younger her, of a demon and a cage, flickered into his head. He'd not had time to process how he felt yet, let alone accept the fact that she was right there.

"So far we've all voted to allow Warden Amell to join the inquisition." Max summed up the conversation. "Do you object?"

Cullen blinked, his words had fled. So many things he could say. So many ways to make it better, or worse. His first instinct was to blurt out a resounding no, that he had absolutely no objections. That thought was followed by a yes, he did object. His brain was thankfully fast enough to stop him from doing that, though. She was already nervous; he could easily see that now that he'd dared to look up. She looked so tired. So different. No longer was she the young apprentice he'd seen in the flashes of their past. She was older, bearing her own scars, her own fears. He could see the haunted look in the warm brown eyes. Eyes that blinked a few times too many in her exhaustion. Cullen could see that if he was too aggressive in his refusal, or too forward in his acceptance, she was likely to bolt from his presence. Amell had never been comfortable with strangers. It was something he'd learned when they'd met all those years ago. She looked at him now like she had back then. She was afraid of him. He didn't like that, though. Cullen made his decision then; he wasn't about to scare her off. Not this time. Perhaps this time he could come to know her properly.

"I um..." his left hand found its way to his neck and his right fell to rest on the hilt of his sword, he did his best to not look directly at Amell. "She has proven capable in combat and resourceful in finding allies. I believe she'd make a good addition if nothing but for morale alone. The men are hopeful, and having a Hero among them would only bolster that."

"Then it's settled," Max said and clapped his hands together. He turned to Rhose and bowed low as he held out a hand. "Come, Hero, I wish to introduce you to the rest of my collection."

With reluctance, Amell took the offered hand and allowed the Herald to lead her from the war council. He was practically skipping as he went, regaling Rhose with so many facts that she could hardly keep up with what he was trying to tell her. She wasn't as jolly, being far too tired to take in much of the entire war council exchange, let alone everything the herald was throwing at her. Amell sighed as she let the door fall shut behind her, the feeling of someone watching her leave chalked up to her exhaustion.


End file.
